So, the Congress high command has spoken. Randeep Surjewala, the party’s designated fireman, rushed in to douse the flames and announced with finality that there will be no change at the top. Siddaramaiah stays Chief Minister. This notwithstanding, the HC ordered a CBI probe into the Vallmiki Corporation scam, in which Siddaramaiah got a clean chit from the state police conducted probe. But, with Surjewala’s pronouncement, are we to believe the storm within the Karnataka Congress has blown over? Hardly. This so-called truce reeks of political denial—kicking the can down the road while pretending all is well. The Congress central leadership may have pressed the pause button, but the play of power continues behind the scenes. For starters, can Siddaramaiah sleep easily tonight? His grip on power may have been reaffirmed by Delhi, but not without leaving deep cracks in the edifice of the party’s state leadership. Over 100 MLAs and leaders aligned themselves with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in an unmistakable display of rebellion. It wasn’t subtle. It wasn’t backroom whispering. It was loud, public, and deliberate. In any other party, this would be tantamount to mutiny. In Congress, it’s just another Monday. The Congress high command’s reluctance to act decisively—either to replace Siddaramaiah or to reprimand Shivakumar’s faction—is driven not by political maturity, but by electoral anxiety. With Tamil Nadu and Kerala headed for Assembly elections shortly, the last thing the party wants is to showcase its endemic instability in Karnataka, a state where it barely managed to cobble together unity after the 2023 polls. But temporary damage control cannot be mistaken for a resolution. If anything, the factional divide has only deepened. Shivakumar’s camp knows it has muscle, numbers, and ambition. And Siddaramaiah knows it too—perhaps that’s why his loyalists are already sharpening their knives, making mental notes of every MLA who dared to defy the chain of command. Will there be retribution? Of course, there will be. Congress party history teaches us that internal dissent never goes unpunished. It only simmers until the next round of ticket distribution or cabinet reshuffle.
The DKS camp may be silent now, but don’t mistake silence for surrender. If anything, they’re regrouping, reorganizing, and inserting their own men even into Siddaramaiah’s backyard—an act of strategic encroachment that cannot go unanswered for long. Shivakumar is not a man content with the deputy’s chair. He has waited long, worked hard, and outmanoeuvred rivals across decades to reach this point. He is not about to lie low and miss his moment. His supporters know it. The media knows it. Delhi knows it. Only Siddaramaiah pretends not to. It would also be naïve to believe that this storm has passed simply because it doesn’t suit the national leadership’s current optics. The Congress has always suffered from its central leadership’s inability to decisively tackle state-level factionalism. In Karnataka, that indecision is costing them dearly—governance has stalled, internal bickering has reached Parliament, and ministers seem more focused on counting loyalists than delivering development. Worse, the party has not learned from its history. Karnataka has been the graveyard of many a Congress revival dream. Whether it was Veerappa Moily’s premature ouster, S.M. Krishna’s isolation, or the high-handed removal of Dharam Singh, the Congress always seems to implode just when it has a shot at consolidating power. This latest power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar is no different—except now, the BJP is on the offensive and the people of Karnataka are watching with disgust. In trying to save face in the short term, Congress has once again set itself up for long-term disaster. The next round of unrest is not a question of if, but when. And when it comes, the party might not have the luxury of pretending it was just a passing shower. For now, the storm may have receded. But make no mistake—dark clouds still hover over Vidhana Soudha.
